Posted by Fri, 16 Jun, 2023 – 19:00
A sister of the woman who was jailed for life last year for the murder two-year-old Santina Cawley at an apartment on Boreenmanna Road was sentenced to a year in prison for endangering life by throwing beer bottles out of a car pursued by gardaí.
The car was being driven by another person from the scene of a crime on St Stephen’s Day, 2021.
Michelle Harrington, 35, of 10 Ravensdale Road, Mahon, Cork, was sentenced to two years with half of it suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court by Judge Helen Boyle.
Harrington previously pleaded guilty to endangerment and two other charges against her on the indictment.
The charges to which Michelle Harrington pleaded guilty are that on December 26, 2021, at Westridge, Ballinrea, Carrigaline, Co Cork, the accused entered a property to carry out a theft. The second charge states she possessed stolen property at Templeusque, Glanmire, Cork, last December 26.
The most serious charge states that on the same date at Ballythomas, Cork, she recklessly engaged in conduct while a passenger in a car that failed to stop for gardaí, namely that she allegedly leaned out the window of this car, threw glass beer bottles at following Garda vehicles, creating a substantial risk of death or serious harm to another, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
Her older sister, Karen Harrington, was convicted in May 2022 following a trial for murdering the little girl and she was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Judge Helen Boyle was told in a defence submission by senior counsel Jane Hyland that Michelle Harrington had experiences which had a huge impact on her life and that she found them too much to handle and she started using drink and drugs in a significant way.
Two particular incidents of relevance were singled out in court, namely that she found her partner following his suicide, and that secondly, her sister Karen was convicted of murder.
Detective Garda Cormac Ó Bric said that at the height of the endangerment, Michelle Harrington leaned out of the front passenger window of the car and threw full glass beer bottles at pursuing Garda vehicles.
The car she was travelling in was doing a speed of about 60k/ph but it was accepted by the prosecution that Michelle Harrington was not aware at the time that it was stolen.
Who Watches the Watchers? 